Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association

Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association, commonly known as MESA International or simply MESA, is a worldwide not-for-profit professional community focused on the use of information technology and management practices in manufacturing. It brings together manufacturers and producers, manufacturing software and hardware suppliers, system integrators, consultants, analysts, standards organizations, academics, editors, and students. Rather than operating primarily as a commercial software vendor, MESA functions as a convening, education, knowledge-sharing, and standards-oriented organization for people working at the intersection of plant operations, enterprise systems, industrial automation, and business intelligence. The association was formed in 1992 with an initial emphasis on manufacturing execution systems, or MES. MES platforms occupy the layer between shop-floor control and higher-level enterprise applications, helping organizations collect production data, manage work orders, monitor quality, track materials, and improve visibility into manufacturing performance. As manufacturing technology evolved, MESA broadened the meaning of its name from Manufacturing Execution Systems Association to Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association. This change reflected a wider interest in the complete manufacturing value chain and in connecting plant-floor devices and control systems with enterprise applications, analytics, and business processes. MESA’s work covers topics including enterprise-to-plant integration, smart manufacturing, industrial internet of things technologies, asset performance management, manufacturing metrics, traceability, food safety, operations and maintenance data, and the practical application of standards. Its community has supported discussion and implementation work related to ISA-95 and ISA-88, including B2MML and BatchML materials. These standards-oriented activities address how production, business, batch-process, and operational data can be represented and exchanged across otherwise separate systems. The association’s activities have included peer-reviewed, noncommercial technical content; webcasts; conferences; regional events; working groups; member networking; and collaboration among manufacturers, technology providers, standards bodies, and educational institutions. Its participants commonly include manufacturing executives, production and manufacturing engineers, software architects, analysts, consultants, system integrators, professors, and students. This broad membership model allows MESA to address both practical implementation concerns and longer-term questions about interoperability, analytics, automation, and industrial operating models. MESA has also collaborated with organizations active in industrial standards and smart manufacturing. Its 2012 merger with the World Batch Forum expanded its connection to batch-process standards and implementation resources. It subsequently participated in the OpenO&M initiative, worked with the Open Applications Group, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Industrial Internet Consortium, and established an education-related agreement with the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute. In 2016, MESA published a formal explanation of the smart-manufacturing landscape, relating smart manufacturing to initiatives such as the Industrial Internet of Things and Industrie 4.0. MESA is best understood as an industry association and professional knowledge network rather than as a conventional product brand. Its value proposition is the development and dissemination of shared frameworks, implementation guidance, education, and connections among organizations seeking more integrated, visible, optimized, and orchestrated manufacturing operations. The available reference material does not establish its current legal status, headquarters, executive leadership, or present level of activity.

Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association began in 1992 as an industry association centered on manufacturing execution systems. At that time, MES represented an important integration layer between production equipment and control systems on one side and enterprise applications on the other. The association’s original purpose was to encourage understanding and adoption of these systems and to help manufacturers use information technology to improve operational results. As manufacturing environments became more connected, MESA expanded its scope. Its name came to represent Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association rather than only Manufacturing Execution Systems Association. The broader remit covered the manufacturing enterprise value chain, including the relationship between plant-floor devices, control systems, production-management applications, enterprise software, and business intelligence. The organization’s emphasis consequently moved beyond a single software category toward integration, visibility, optimization, automation, orchestration, and management practices across manufacturing operations. MESA developed a community that included manufacturers, technology suppliers, consultants, system integrators, analysts, standards organizations, academics, and students. Its activities included conferences in different regions, webcasts, peer-to-peer networking, working groups, and the preparation of technical content. The association’s published material was described as peer-reviewed and noncommercial, supporting a role as an industry knowledge forum rather than a vendor marketing channel. Areas of work included the MESA manufacturing model, manufacturing metrics, asset performance management, smart manufacturing, food safety, and traceability. In 2012, MESA merged with the World Batch Forum. The combination strengthened the association’s connection to batch manufacturing and to implementation resources associated with B2MML and BatchML. These resources relate to the ISA-95 and ISA-88 standards families and address the representation and exchange of manufacturing and batch-process information. MESA also joined the OpenO&M initiative in 2012. OpenO&M was described as a collaborative effort involving organizations such as the International Society of Automation, MESA, MIMOSA, the Open Applications Group, and the OPC Foundation. Its purpose was to improve the exchange of operations and maintenance information and the contextual data needed to interpret it. This work aligned with MESA’s broader interest in connecting operational technology, information technology, and enterprise-level systems. In 2014, MESA International and Open Applications Group, Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding. The agreement provided a formal basis for cooperation between the organizations’ committees and working groups, allowing each to contribute expertise to initiatives affecting their shared stakeholders. MESA continued to focus on emerging manufacturing architectures during the 2010s. In 2016, it published Smart Manufacturing – The Landscape Explained, which set out a formal description of smart manufacturing and related it to the Industrial Internet of Things, Industrie 4.0, and other technology initiatives. In 2017, MESA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Industrial Internet Consortium. Their planned cooperation covered interoperability, portability, security, privacy, architecture harmonization, industrial analytics, asset performance management, and the exchange of IIoT best practices. Also in 2017, MESA and the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute announced an education-focused agreement. The arrangement was intended to give CESMII members access to educational material developed by MESA and to promote understanding of smart-manufacturing technologies. The available sources portray MESA as an international professional and standards-oriented community whose influence comes from convening participants, producing educational and technical material, supporting implementation discussions, and coordinating with adjacent standards and industrial-technology organizations. They do not provide reliable current information about MESA’s headquarters, current officers, legal structure beyond its not-for-profit description, or whether its historical website and programs remain active.

1. 2017Cooperation agreement with the Industrial Internet Consortium

   The organizations agreed to collaborate on industrial internet interoperability, security, privacy, analytics, architecture, and asset performance management.

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2. 2017Education agreement with CESMII

   MESA and CESMII announced an arrangement to provide CESMII members with access to MESA educational resources.

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3. 2016Smart-manufacturing landscape paper released

   MESA published a paper explaining smart manufacturing and its relationship to IIoT, Industrie 4.0, and related initiatives.

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4. 2014Memorandum of understanding with OAGi

   MESA International and Open Applications Group formalized collaboration between their committees and working groups.

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5. 2012Merger with the World Batch Forum

   The merger expanded MESA’s batch-manufacturing and standards-related scope, including work connected with B2MML and BatchML.

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6. 2012Participation in OpenO&M

   MESA joined the OpenO&M initiative to support more harmonized exchange of operations and maintenance data and context.

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7. 1992Association founded around manufacturing execution systems

   MESA was established to promote manufacturing execution systems and their use in improving manufacturing operations and business results.

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An international, noncommercial convening and knowledge platform for manufacturing technology users, suppliers, standards organizations, consultants, and academics. MESA emphasizes interoperability, practical implementation, enterprise-to-plant integration, and the application of information technology to improve manufacturing performance.

• MESA Model for ManufacturingManufacturing integration framework

  A MESA knowledge resource addressing how manufacturing operations, enterprise processes, information technology, and production systems can be related. It is part of the association’s broader effort to provide a common vocabulary and practical framework for discussing manufacturing execution and enterprise integration.

• B2MML and BatchML implementation resourcesManufacturing standards implementation

  Technical resources associated with the implementation of ISA-95 and ISA-88 concepts. B2MML addresses business-to-manufacturing information exchange, while BatchML relates to batch-process information. MESA’s work in this area supported discussion and practical use of standards across manufacturing and enterprise systems.

• Smart Manufacturing – The Landscape ExplainedIndustry guidance and education2016

  A MESA paper that defines and contextualizes smart manufacturing, including its relationship with the Industrial Internet of Things, Industrie 4.0, and other manufacturing-technology initiatives. The publication was intended to improve understanding of overlapping terminology and technology domains.

• MESA conferences, webcasts, and working groupsProfessional education and networking

  A program of events and collaborative forums bringing together manufacturers, solution providers, standards organizations, consultants, and researchers. Topics have included manufacturing metrics, asset performance management, smart manufacturing, food safety, traceability, and enterprise integration.

• 2017Align efforts with the Industrial Internet ConsortiumStrategy

  Industrial companies were increasingly addressing interoperability, security, analytics, and asset performance as connected manufacturing expanded.

  What changed. MESA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Industrial Internet Consortium to collaborate on IIoT practices, interoperability, architecture, standardization, analytics, and asset performance management.

  Aftermath. The agreement positioned MESA’s manufacturing expertise alongside the consortium’s industrial internet activities, although the available material does not document specific later deliverables.

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• 2017Expand smart-manufacturing education through CESMIIStrategy

  MESA aimed to improve practical understanding of smart-manufacturing technologies among industrial participants.

  What changed. MESA and CESMII announced an agreement giving CESMII members access to MESA-developed educational content.

  Aftermath. The arrangement extended MESA’s educational reach into the clean-energy and smart-manufacturing innovation community.

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• 2014Formalize cooperation with Open Applications GroupStrategy

  MESA and OAGi served overlapping communities concerned with standards, enterprise applications, and manufacturing information exchange.

  What changed. The organizations signed a memorandum of understanding covering cooperation between committees and working groups.

  Aftermath. The agreement created a more formal basis for sharing expertise and coordinating initiatives for common stakeholders.

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• 2012Merge with the World Batch ForumM&A

  MESA sought to broaden its manufacturing integration community and strengthen its coverage of batch-process standards and implementation.

  What changed. MESA merged with the World Batch Forum, the standards organization associated with B2MML and BatchML.

  Aftermath. The combination connected MESA’s MES and enterprise-integration activities with batch manufacturing and ISA-95/ISA-88 implementation work.

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• 2017MESA signs an agreement with the Industrial Internet Consortium

  MESA and the Industrial Internet Consortium agreed to cooperate on industrial internet best practices, interoperability, architecture, security, privacy, industrial analytics, and asset performance management.

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• 2017MESA and CESMII announce a smart-manufacturing education agreement

  MESA International and the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute announced an arrangement under which CESMII members would receive access to MESA-developed educational material.

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• 2016MESA publishes a smart-manufacturing landscape definition

  MESA released Smart Manufacturing – The Landscape Explained, a paper presenting the scope and relationships among smart manufacturing, the Industrial Internet of Things, Industrie 4.0, and related initiatives.

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• 2014MESA and OAGi formalize cooperation

  MESA International and Open Applications Group, Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding intended to coordinate committees and working groups and provide shared stakeholders with complementary expertise.

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• 2012MESA merges with the World Batch Forum

  MESA combined with the World Batch Forum, bringing batch-process standards and implementation expertise associated with B2MML and BatchML more closely into its manufacturing technology community.

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• 2012MESA joins the OpenO&M initiative

  MESA became part of the OpenO&M collaboration, which brings together standards organizations and subject-matter experts to improve the exchange of operations and maintenance data and its surrounding context.

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1. Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association
2. MESA International historical website